Los Angeles—The Clippers point guard Chris Paul is all smiles heading into the All-Star break.
It wasn’t an easy 122-117 victory Wednesday night against the Trailblazers, but Paul was deluged with happiness after his team tied Portland for the third seed in the West.
“I’m happy,” Paul said. “I’m in a great place as far as our team going into the break, one of the best feelings I’ve had about a team since I’ve been in the league. Just strictly because of defense. I think a lot of people see that [Portland] scored 117 points tonight, and are like, ‘What is he talking about?’ but the mindset is there. It’s a work in progress, and hopefully we peak at the right time. For me, we’re in a good place right now.”
Paul has every reason to feel giddy because this had to be one of the most satisfying wins of the season thus far. Both teams went back and forth with 40 lead changes and eighteen ties. But offense wasn’t the reason why the Clippers came out on top; it came down to the small plays that were made on defense.
“It just felt like if you could get one or two stops in a row you would win the game,” said Jamal Crawford.
The team’s success is coming from harmonious and Blake Griffin’s recent leadership on the floor. When Paul had to take a basketball break due to a shoulder injury, Griffin took his game up a notch and is having arguably his best season in the NBA.
Paul made it very transparent that he’d be willing to ride on the passenger side and let Blake Griffin continue to lead the way with his condescending ways on the court.
“Blake’s dominance is something that we need. He’s been our MVP all season long,” Paul said. “I keep telling him: “I don’t want to stop that. I don’t want to hinder that. I just want to be a part of it.'”
Griffin had 36 points, 10 rebounds and one assist in his final game until Tuesday. Griffin has started a streak that is difficult to slow down. He’s also averaging 34 points and 11 rebounds per game in the month of February.
For the last two years the Clippers has been one of the best teams in the West, but has failed to make it past the first and second round of the playoffs. With postseason just two months away, the team is showing signs that they are possibly ready to compete at a high level.
Tamara is a graduate of Cal State Los Angeles where she received a Bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism. Tamara is passionate about covering sports. She has covered the NBA and Major League Baseball routinely for the past several years. A Southern California native, Tamara developed her skills as a sports journalist while working for various Los Angeles-based news publications.
Discover more from
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.